The present disclosure generally relates to a self-power generating, lighting, data collection and display apparatuses, systems and methods used by firefighters in the firefighting environment.
Although the state of the art in firefighting has evolved significantly as technology has improved, firefighters still rely on the fire hose with a spray nozzle for extinguishing many types of fires. Often, there are situations where a firefighter may not have adequate information or lighting to effectively direct the aim of the fire hose or have the ability to readily determine the environment in which the firefighter is working. Additionally, firefighters can easily get disoriented and lose their sense of direction. For example, the firefighter may be in a burning building or fighting a forest fire at night, and being in such an environment may not be able to easily assess the environment. Therefore it is advantageous to have a light source and data gathering means available to the firefighter when fighting fires.
In many situations, the need for adequate electricity to power a light or data gathering source may not be available. Running a power cable may be impracticable as exposing a lighting fixture or electric components to water could pose a risk of an electrical shock or malfunction. Additionally, setting up a light fixture stand or the tethering of a power cable adds weight that the firefighter must manage in addition to the hose, making maneuvering clumsy and awkward. Although battery packs may be available, the consumption of power by high power luminous lighting over the time period necessary to extinguish a fire make the power storage capacity of batteries inadequate. Thus there is a need for a self-powered attached fire hose lighting system that may prove practical in the firefighting incident.
It is useful to a firefighter on the scene of a fire to have accurate real time data regarding the fire environment in which he operates. Although the firefighter is trained to evaluate the environment when approaching a fire line, sometimes it is difficult to readily assess multiple variables quickly and accurately. For example, smoke may inhibit visibility, making it impossible to see the terrain, the distance to an object, or the fastest escape route. A firefighter may find it useful to know the temperature of the ambient air or of an object to help decide a course of action, air flow, air flow direction, humidity, and thermal radiation. For example when an object has been extinguished to assess the likelihood of a reflash or the rekindling of flammable materials. An accurate measure of these variables along with determining the temperature of an object without direct contact with the object is needed.
A firefighter may also want to know information about the operational efficiency of his equipment, including air tank oxygen levels, the flow rates of fluids through and pressure within the fire hose necessary to asses or calculate reserve levels of water or retardant. The fire fighter may find it useful to know the nature or content of combustible materials, oxygen and other toxic substance levels in the air or surrounding environment. Therefore it is desirable to have multiple environmental sensors for detecting the status of environmental variables and providing reliable readily available data regarding environmental variables and objects in the environment.
Additionally, it is desirable to provide the firefighter with geographical terrain, building layout, location and routing information for an exit, escape path to the entry point of the fire or rescue. Many times, the route taken by a firefighter when entering a fire location is cut off as a result of shifting fire conditions and it becomes necessary for the firefighter to exit the same or a different entry point by an alternative route, or to send in rescuers when a firefighter is injured. Thus it is desirable to have mapping date, ability to track the location and route of the firefighter and provides terrain details both to the firefighter and any potential rescuer.
It may also be useful to provide data to other firefighters in the area, including those firefighters that are on foot, at a fire truck, or at a local command center. This information can be used by firefighters to coordinate the attack on the fire, properly allocate resources, and to execute rescues.
Therefore it is desirable to have a system that allows for improved self powered lighting, improved environmental monitoring and communication of data to firefighters. Therefore a need exists for a solution to the aforementioned problems. The present teachings provide such a system.